KATHMANDU: Nepali opening batter Kushal Bhurtel etched his name into cricket history by smashing six sixes in a single over against China’s Chen Zhuo Yue during the Asian Games Qualifiers.

Despite the over including a wide ball, Bhurtel capitalized on the remaining deliveries to join an elite global club and put Nepal in a commanding position.

The opening batter achieved this historic feat during the ninth over of the innings, completely dismantling the bowling of China’s Chen Zhuo Yue.

Although the Chinese bowler conceded a wide during the over, it did nothing to disrupt Bhurtel’s rhythm as he cleanly dispatched all six legal deliveries over the boundary ropes.

Driven by this explosive display, Bhurtel hit a blistering century.

With this remarkable performance, Bhurtel has become the second player from Nepal and only the sixth player in international cricket history to achieve this rare power-hitting milestone.

He joins an elite international club that includes South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs, who first achieved the feat in an ODI against the Netherlands in 2007, and India’s Yuvraj Singh, who famously hit England’s Stuart Broad for six sixes in a T20I later that same year.

Since then, West Indies’ Kieron Pollard against Sri Lanka in 2021, and USA’s Jaskaran Malhotra against Papua New Guinea in 2021, have also reached the milestone.

Bhurtel’s achievement adds an incredible legacy to Nepali cricket on the world stage.

He follows in the footsteps of his teammate, all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee, who previously smashed six sixes in an over against Qatar during the 2024 ACC Premier Cup.

With Bhurtel adding his name to the record books alongside Airee, Nepal now stands alone as the only nation in cricket history to boast two different batsmen who have accomplished this ultimate feat in international cricket.